Kohima ,29 July :Extending its helping hand to Nagaland state in its endeavour to attain self-sufficiency in pork products, British Pig Association (BPA) has shown keen interest on pig breeding farming in Nagaland.
The chairman of the BPA, Robert Overend who is on an inspection visit to Nagaland told media persons at Hotel Japfü in Kohima on 28th July 2008 that the association will join in the Public-Private-Partnership in pig breeding farming in the state. Robert, who has been associated with pig breeding farming in United Kingdom for more than 50 years, expressed hope that the proposed joint venture will help the state in meeting the high demand of meat in the state. The ambitious joint project has been initiated at the invitation of the Chief Minister to Robert Overend to improve and increase pig breeding in the state. Robert is an acknowledged pedigree pig breeder and he and his family supply piglets and semen to pig farms worldwide.
The officials of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department and the visiting Chairman of the BPA held detailed discussions on the proposed setting up of the pig-breeding project. The discussions include setting up an Artificial Insemination unit, establish a pig-breeding unit using imported pigs to produce piglets for sale to private growers and draw up a management scheme to preserve the gene pool of local breeds and ensuring continuity of local pigs.
Expressing high hopes over the proposed joint project Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Secretary, M. Yanthan told media persons that a concept note on the project has already been prepared and the feasibility report will be completed by December 2008. He said that the Detail Project Report will be prepared by February and it will be submitted to the BPA.
Rana Das, an official associated with Management Solutions and Business Planning Consultants said that cross breeding will be done in the proposed project by importing high yielding exotic pigs from United Kingdom. Secretary, M. Yanthan also said that a site with an area of 100 acres at Khupanalah in Dimapur has already been identified for the proposed project.